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Displacer beast
A displacer beast is a fictional evil feline creature created for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game in 1975; it has subsequently been included in every edition of the game to the present day. Description A displacer beast is a magical six-legged panther-like feline with a pair of tentacles growing from its shoulders; the beast has an innate "displacement" ability, causing it appear to be several feet away from its actual location. Publication history ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1974–1976) The displacer beast was created for Dungeons & Dragons, first introduced in the game's supplement, Greyhawk (1975), as "a puma-like creature with six legs and a pair of tentacles which grow from its shoulders."Gygax, Gary and Robert J. Kuntz. Supplement I: Greyhawk (TSR, 1975) The concept of the creature was borrowed from A. E. van Vogt's 1939 science fiction story "Black Destroyer", which described a feline-like creature called a coeurl.Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977) David M. Ewalt, in his book Of Dice and Men, discussed several monsters appearing in the original Monster Manual, describing displacer beasts as looking like "pumas with thorn-covered tentacles growing out of their shoulders". The displacer beast was detailed in Dragon #109 (May 1986), in the "Ecology of the Displacer Beast".Mickelson, Bill. "Ecology of the Displacer Beast." Dragon Magazine #109 (TSR, 1986) ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1977–1999) This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the displacer beast, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977),Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson 1974, edited by J. Eric Holmes. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1977) and Expert Set (1981 & 1983),Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson 1974, edited by Dave Cook. Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set (TSR, 1981)Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson 1974, edited by Frank Mentzer. Dungeons & Dragons Set 2: Expert Rules (TSR, 1983) and was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991),Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Watry. Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991) the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).Slavicsek, Bill. Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game (TSR, 1999) ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition (1989–1999) The displacer beast appears in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989),Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One (TSR, 1989) and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1994) ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.0 & 3.5 editions (2000–2007) The displacer beast appears in the 3rd edition Monster Manual(2000)Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000) and then in the 3.5 edition Monster Manual (2003). This edition also described the displacer beast pack lord. For this edition, Wizards of the Coast considered the displacer beast to be an original product of D&D and was therefore categorized as a "Product Identity"; as such it was not released under its Open Game License. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition (2008–2013) The displacer beast appears in the 4th edition Monster Manual (2008), and again a description is included for the displacer beast packlord.Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2008) ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th edition (2014) The displacer beast appears in the 5th edition Monster Manual(2014). Reception Rob Bricken from io9 named the displacer beast as the 2nd most memorable D&D monster. Other marketing: D&D Miniatures * Harbinger set #41 (2003) * War of the Dragon Queen set #29 (2006) (Displacer Beast Pack Lord) * Unhallowed set #37 (2007) (Displacer Beast Manhunter) References Category:Dungeons & Dragons magical beasts Category:Dungeons & Dragons standard creatures